Overview
- An Eric García own goal from a Joan García miscontrol opened the scoring before Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman finished counters to put Atlético 3-0 up inside 33 minutes at the Metropolitano.
- Confirmed XIs featured Juan Musso in goal for Atlético and Joan García for Barcelona, with Marcus Rashford, Raphinha, Pedri and Gavi out for Barça and Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso missing for Atlético.
- The first-leg clash kicked off Thursday in Madrid, broadcast on ESPN+ in the United States and on ITV4/ITVX in the United Kingdom.
- The semifinal is a two-legged tie, with the decisive second leg scheduled for March 4 at Camp Nou and the winners advancing to April’s final at La Cartuja in Seville.
- Barcelona entered as reigning Copa del Rey champions and La Liga leaders, while Atlético reached the last four after a 5-0 quarter-final win over Real Betis and seek their first Copa crown since 2012–13.